# Colorado SB26-181: Works Program Reserves & Cost of Living Adjustment Colorado SB26-181, Works Program Reserves & Cost of Living Adjustment, is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Barbara Kirkmeyer (Republican), Judy Amabile (Democratic), Kyle Brown (Democratic) and 1 others; status signed, last action 2026-06-02 (Governor Signed); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB26-181-2026A - As of: 2026-10-16 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Colorado SB26-181 - State: Colorado - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: Works Program Reserves & Cost of Living Adjustment - Status: signed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-04-27 - Last action: 2026-06-02, Governor Signed - Sponsors: Barbara Kirkmeyer (Republican), Judy Amabile (Democratic), Kyle Brown (Democratic), Rick Taggart (Republican) - Cosponsors: 14 - Subjects: Human Services - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 4 (96 yes, 21 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 4 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Annual Colorado Works increases starting 2028: benefit, medium. Beginning July 1, 2028, Colorado Works basic cash grants increase each state budget year by at least 2%. The law uses a higher rate when the three-year average of Social Security cost-of-living adjustments exceeds 2%. That average includes the current year's adjustment and the previous two years. E… - Longer Colorado Works help for families: benefit, medium. Counties can extend Colorado Works cash assistance beyond the 60-month lifetime limit for households that show good cause. The state board must set statewide standards and procedures for these extensions. Good cause includes child-only cases, single-parent households with a child under one, and har… - Colorado Works inflation increases pause temporarily: cost, low. Colorado Works basic cash grants receive no cost-of-living increase for the state budget years beginning July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2027. This pause does not itself cut the existing grant amount. The pause provision is repealed effective July 31, 2028. - Colorado Works reserve safeguards and reporting end: cost, low. The law removes Colorado Works reserve requirements tied to 15% and 25% thresholds and mandatory transfers between reserves. It ends required reserve backfills using state general funds or the unclaimed property trust. It also removes the mitigation fund for counties with reserves below 15% of thei… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Barbara Kirkmeyer (Republican), Senate - Sponsor: Judy Amabile (Democratic), Senate - Sponsor: Kyle Brown (Democratic), House - Sponsor: Rick Taggart (Republican), House - Cosponsor: Chad Clifford (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Julie McCluskie (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Monica Duran (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Meg Froelich (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Mandy Lindsay (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Manny Rutinel (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Byron Pelton (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Cathy Kipp (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Cleave Simpson (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: James Coleman (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Janice Rich (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Kyle Mullica (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Rod Pelton (Republican), Senate - Cosponsor: Scott Bright (Republican), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-05-11 | House | Third reading: Bill | pass | 46 | 18 | | | 2026-05-08 | House | Refer Senate Bill 26-181 to the Committee of the Whole. | pass | 10 | 1 | | | 2026-05-06 | Senate | Third reading: Bill | pass | 33 | 2 | | | 2026-05-05 | Senate | Refer Senate Bill 26-181 to the Committee of the Whole and with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. | pass | 7 | 0 | | ## Actions (13) - 2026-06-02: Governor Signed (House) - 2026-05-22: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate) - 2026-05-22: Signed by the Speaker of the House (House) - 2026-05-22: Sent to the Governor (House) - 2026-05-11: House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments (House) - 2026-05-09: House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments (House) - 2026-05-08: House Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended to House Committee of the Whole (House) - 2026-05-08: House Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments (House) - 2026-05-06: Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments (Senate) - 2026-05-06: Introduced In House - Assigned to Appropriations (House) - 2026-05-05: Senate Committee on Appropriations Refer Unamended - Consent Calendar to Senate Committee of the Whole (Senate) - 2026-05-05: Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed - No Amendments (Senate) - 2026-04-27: Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Appropriations (Senate) ## Bill text - Engrossed: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115787/download) - Final Act: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116603/download) - Introduced: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115309/download) - Reengrossed: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115882/download) - Rerevised: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116285/download) - Revised: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116202/download) - Signed Act: [PDF](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116957/download) ## Related bills - HB26-1250: Procedures Related to Civil Asset Forfeiture (signed) - HB26-1298: Background Checks for Child Welfare Placements (signed) - HB26-1414: Medical Record Requests (signed) - SB26-155: Increase Access Homeowner's Insurance Enterprise (signed) - HB26-1429: County Administration Public Assistance Programs (signed) - HB26-1430: Transportation Funding Adjustments (signed) ## Sources - [Engrossed (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115787/download) - [Final Act (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116603/download) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115309/download) - [Reengrossed (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/115882/download) - [Rerevised (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116285/download) - [Revised (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116202/download) - [Signed Act (PDF)](https://leg.colorado.gov/bill_files/116957/download) ## Related - [HB26-1250: Procedures Related to Civil Asset Forfeiture](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB26-1250-2026A) - [HB26-1298: Background Checks for Child Welfare Placements](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB26-1298-2026A) - [HB26-1414: Medical Record Requests](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB26-1414-2026A) - [SB26-155: Increase Access Homeowner's Insurance Enterprise](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB26-155-2026A) - [HB26-1429: County Administration Public Assistance Programs](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB26-1429-2026A) - [HB26-1430: Transportation Funding Adjustments](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-HB26-1430-2026A) - [Colorado bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/colorado/bills) - [Colorado state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/colorado) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/CO-SB26-181-2026A (as of 2026-10-16).